Saturday, March 9, 2013

I'm back!

Yes, I realize it's been more than a year since I last wrote a post on this blog. And, I don't really have any explanation other than things happen, and you do what you can.

Some of the things that have happened include my car being wrecked and declared totaled by the insurance company, searching for and purchasing another car (VERY unexpected expense!), major changes at my day job, our sweet dog Boomer suddenly getting sick, having surgery and unexpectedly dying--all within a week. And, yes, those events all happened with the first six months of 2012.

But, it is now 2013 and I've been rethinking what to do with my blog. In the midst of all the upheaval in my life, I've spent much time thinking and praying about my writing. Is this what I'm really supposed to do with my talents and my time? I believe the answer is "Yes."

Along those lines, the novel I've been writing, which was drafted out, but still in need of rounds of revision, has changed. I believe the changes are what the story truly wants to be, but, at times, I lost sight of that and could only see how much more work lies ahead. Well, I'm letting that go. I'm going to follow where this story needs to move and do my best to keep my mind away from the calendar.

So what does all this self-knowledge mean? It means I'm trying something different on my blog for a while. For the next few months I'm going to be posting weekly and the posts will include information about what I've been reading or books I've heard about, but the main point will be my weekly goals.

For a while, a co-worker, Abby, who is also a writer, and I have been exchanging weekly goals. We email them to each other on Fridays, and usually include a little about why we set that goal or how we did on the previous week's goals. I must admit that some weeks I haven't been too successful, but the actual practice of writing out my goals and sending them to someone meant I had to think about what I wanted to accomplish and break down the steps to get there.

Then, this past week I received my pre-ordered copy of Michael Nobbs' new book, Drawing Your Life. I read his blog and follow him on twitter, and I recommend his book. One of the points he makes (well, it's what I got out of it!) is that we don't have to look at the huge goal; we can achieve our goal one page a time, one word at a time. I knew this, but I'm working to remember that I can achieve my goal of being the best writer, the best artist, I can be by taking one step at time.

Here are my goals for this week:

1. Write every day.
2. Go through my previous notes and put together the pieces and sections I have already written to complete the moonlight ride scene.

Yes, I realize these goals are not huge, but, so far I've been able to meet them. I'll let you know next Friday or Saturday how I did. And, I'll post my new goals.

How was 2012 for you? How has 2013 been so far? What about your goals? Do you have any you want to share?

1 comment:

My goals have been mostly short-term thus far this year (a concert, a birthday party, a meeting, or sometimes just getting better from some pesky gunk). Some of my non-musical creative endeavors have been quite enjoyable: basic knitting projects, card-making, and tonight trying a recipe for pecan chocolate chip cookies that are quite good (from Judy Rosenbaum's big no-holds-barred cookie book). My teaching goals continue to involve sparking the student's own interest and ownership of their singing, both in practice and in performance. My devotional life is daily, but some days get more time and energy than others. Writing in my journal about it all helps, even if just lists, quotes, and observations that help me to process what has been going on. I'm doing Beth Moore's SIESTA SISTERS SCRIPTURE MEMORY CHALLENGE this year, too. Maybe I need to find someone to ask me every week as you have done, "What are your goals for this week? How did you meet last week's?" Thanks, Lillian---Jennifer